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The killings came less than a week after two teenagers were shot and killed in Montreal West.
Article author:
Brendan Kelly, Montreal Gazette
Publication date:
August 03, 2022 • 54 minutes ago • 4 minutes read • 6 comments Montrealers walk past the bus stop in Saint-Laurent where a man was shot and killed Tuesday night. Photo by Dave Sidaway/Montreal Gazette
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Montreal police say it is almost certain that two fatal shootings that happened within an hour in different parts of the city on Tuesday night were carried out by the same person.
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Chief Inspector Marie-Claude Dandeno said on Wednesday evening that “one gunman was responsible for both shootings. To confirm it 100 percent, we are waiting for some details. We are awaiting the ballistics report. But 99 percent the same person is responsible for both shootings.
Multiple media reports suggest the victims were chosen at random by the killer, but police say they cannot confirm this at this stage.
“Right now we can’t say that,” Dandeno said. “But I can’t say it isn’t. That’s the thing.” We currently have many scenarios that we are looking at. We can’t say they’re random, but we can’t rule it out.”
There is no indication that the killings were gang-related. Police have eyewitnesses and a vehicle trail.
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The deaths are the latest in an epidemic of gun violence in the city this year. They came after two teenagers were killed last Thursday in Montreal West.
The first of Tuesday night’s shootings was reported around 9:45 p.m. at Jules-Poitras and Deguire avenues. near Roman-Zytinsky Park in the Saint-Laurent district. Officers found the body of a 64-year-old man who had been shot at least once in the upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim is Andre Lemieux, the father of local professional boxer David Lemieux. On Wednesday, the former International Boxing Federation middleweight champion posted a message on Instagram that read: “RIP Dad.”
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According to court records, Andre Lemieux lived on Jules-Poitras Blvd. and near where he was shot. He was recently charged in a case of drunk driving and drug possession that was still pending in a Montreal court.
Lemieux had a long criminal record, but his last conviction came in 2008 after he pleaded guilty to a theft he committed that year. He received a sentence that could be served in the community, as well as three years of probation.
The second victim was Mohamed Salah Belhaj, 48, who was killed a few kilometers northeast of the first shooting, at an intersection in the Akhundjik neighborhood around 10:50 p.m. He was also shot at least once in the upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A spokeswoman for the regional health board where the victim worked confirmed his identity.
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“We are dismayed to learn of the death in tragic circumstances of Mr. Mohamed Salah Belhaj, an interventionist at the Albert-Prevost Mental Health Hospital,” wrote Emily Jacob, spokeswoman for the health board serving Nord-de-l’Ile -de- Montreal.
“We would like to extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones.”
Mayor Valerie Plante expressed her sadness at the killings.
Je suis de tout cœur avec la famille et les proches des deux victims of crimes otieux survenus hier soir à Montréal. I understand the concerns of citizens à la suite de ces événements.
Sachez que le @SPVM ne ménage aucun effort to faire la lumière sur ces crimes. #polmtl
— Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) August 3, 2022
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Plante tweeted: “My heart goes out to the families and close friends of the two victims of these heinous crimes last night in Montreal. I understand the concerns of citizens after these events. Please know that the SPVM is doing everything possible to shed light on these crimes.
But Abdelhak Sari, public security spokesman for the opposition Ensemble Montreal party, said the Plante administration is not doing enough.
Sarri said in a written statement: “Gun violence continues to increase in Montreal. Unfortunately, this issue is far from a priority for the Plante administration. We proposed a series of solutions to address this problem: a summer security plan, restoring the number of police officers, assessing the needs of social workers. … Unfortunately, none of these solutions have been implemented. The most worrying aspect is the administration’s refusal to accept any proposal without an alternative solution. How long will it take before Projet Montréal realizes that security is also the responsibility of the city of Montreal?”
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Iyeb Abdrabou, who lives near the corner of Sauvé and Meilleur streets in Ahuntsic, said he heard what sounded like gunshots Tuesday night.
“In the last two years, we’ve been hearing a lot of shooting in the area and we’re getting more concerned about what’s going on here in the neighborhood,” Abdrabou said. “I don’t feel safe. What is happening in Montreal for the last few years, we thought it was happening in the United States or even in Toronto, but now we see that something is wrong in the city. I don’t think the police are doing enough. With gangs, a child can be hit, or a father, simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have a daughter who is 12 years old and she is about to go to high school and I am very worried. I don’t think I’ll let her on the bus.
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Marvens Jean, 17, playing basketball at Saint Benoit Park in Ahunsik on Wednesday, right next to where the killing took place, said it was disturbing to think that someone had been killed yards from the basketball court.
“This is the first time I’ve heard of anyone being shot here,” Jean said. “I thought we were safe here.”
Crime scenes were set up at both locations and the murders brought to 17 the number of murders committed this year on the island of Montreal. For the same period last year, 16 murders were registered.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
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